A dark, riveting mystery." - Kirkus Reviews Alaska State Trooper Investigator Jake Ward is fighting two battles: one against the cancer that nearly killed him, and the other to win his badge back. Sidelined on light duty, he is desperate for action. He's about to get more than he can handle. It starts with a simple polygraph test for a woman in custody. But when she breaks out-leaving a trail of blood and a critically injured officer behind her-Ward realizes this was no random escape. Ignoring orders to stand down, Ward plunges into an unauthorized investigation that pulls him into the darkest corners of the Alaskan wilderness. Someone is playing God. To find the truth, Ward must risk everything to confront a mastermind who targets the vulnerable, forcing him to face a chilling question: What if the human mind can do things that shouldn't be possible? As the temperature drops and the body count rises, Ward must rely on his instincts to survive a threat smarter, faster, and stranger than anything he has ever faced. Crime fiction meets psychological suspense in this thrilling, high-stakes procedural from a retired Alaska State Trooper.